Karri Backer’s path to the priesthood has not been direct or traditional. She was a high-school dropout who disliked and distrusted organized religion. She now has college degrees from UCLA and Antioch University and is working on a third, a master’s in divinity from Claremont School of Theology’s joint program with Bloy House, the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont.

A social worker who found her way back to the church, she enrolled in Claremont after her home church, St. Mark’s, Upland, Calif., encouraged her to become a priest when she was considering the diaconate.

Perhaps it’s not surprising that her internship at Claremont School of Theology is also non-traditional.